ABSTRACT
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and costs the economy at least $67.5 billion per annum. Despite government recommendations and campaigns to raise public awareness, the physical inactivity pandemic is gathering momentum. Although UK gym membership continues to rise (9 million members; Leisure database, 2016), 63% of new members usually stop attending within 3 months and less than 4% remain active one year later. Recent evidence also suggests that 24 million English adults visit green spaces at least once a week. Of these, 8.23 million adults make at least one weekly ‘active’ visit to green spaces; equating to an annual health value of £2.2 billion. This suggests that parks and countryside can play a key role in increasing PA. Evidence indicates that individuals are more active when accessing green spaces compared to alternative settings; thus providing nature and green spaces to facilitate physical activity (PA) may offer one solution to address this international crisis.
